Trick Play
by Cherry tiger
Summary: Hiruma has disappeared during a crucial time in training for the Saikyoudai Wizards. Mamori sets off to look for him and bring him back, but there could be more to Hiruma's situation than she realised, and it may lead to the two of them making the biggest trick play they've ever planned and executed. HiruMamo.
1. Chapter 1

After almost a year of planning, I'm ready to present a new multi-chapter fic I've had in mind for my favourite pairing ever, HiruMamo! Thank you to everyone who have been patiently waiting for something new from me. I hope you continue to enjoy my writing as you did with my past work.

Important points! I will be mentioning a character that was only mentioned in the Eyeshield 21 novel "The Fierce Hundred Game". There is little to no info on her, but I am involving this character on what little I have read of the novel. Be known that I haven't read it fully and my interpretation of that character may be off. In a sense, you can treat her like an original character of mine, but do know some of the facts I'm presenting about her is canon based on the novel.

I will explain more on this later. For now, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this new fic!

* * *

It was when her aching legs began to protest that Mamori figured she had reached her limit. Wiping her brow as she gulped in more deep breaths, she decided that she needed to rest and that there was enough time for a short break.

She hoped.

Sitting on a railing by the road, she pulled out a bottle of water and drank deeply as her eyes scanned the scenery around her. She had been following this road, walking for over an hour on an uphill slope and she was sure she probably had another half hour to go before she reached her destination. The bus she had taken to get to Igaho had broken down, and upon deciding that she had wasted enough time trying to reach her destination, she'd picked up her stuff and began to walk. The distance was ridiculous and much of the walk had been a trek uphill, but as she slipped her bottle back into her bag, she took another deep breath and savoured the fresh mountain air. The view of the hills green and bright under the hot sun winked a reminder to keep going before it got dark.

Well, moments like these weren't so bad. The air got cooler as she kept walking anyway. Sighing, she pulled out a packet of biscuits for a quick snack. They were a poor cry from her favourite creampuffs, but she had to pack light. She wasn't sure how long she would be stuck in Igaho, and it all depended on whether or not she could find a particular demon Quarterback who had mysteriously disappeared in the last week of Summer training.

Already the idea of Hiruma being missing during training sounded ridiculous. But with only a text to say that he had an emergency to attend to and nothing else, nobody at the Saikyoudai Wizards knew what to think. They could continue to function without him shouting expletives and shooting them down, but this was their last tournament for the Fall season in their build up to the Rice Bowl. Even he knew how crucial this last week of summer was supposed to be as this was their last long holiday before classes and the tournament began.

They hadn't even mastered some of the new trick plays that he'd wanted to do. So for him to disappear like this meant that it must be serious.

A call from Doburoku confirmed this. The owner of the Kitae Ryokan, Sugiyo, a good friend of Doburoku who also played a vital role during the Deimon Devil Bat's training before, had informed Doburoku that Hiruma was here in Igaho and that the situation was rather serious. Despite it being so, she'd warned him that having a whole team of people there might jeopardize the sensitive situation...

But Anezaki Mamori may be able to do something.

Upon hearing this, Mamori didn't hesitate to leave the team under Yamato's leadership, pack her bags and take the first train up North West. Igaho may not be that far, but going up the hills was tricky. And of all the times, the bus had to break down on the way up. But that wasn't Mamori's main concern.

She was concerned over what had happened to Hiruma. What could have happened that Sugiyo would even call Doburoku to get help? How sensitive was the situation? Was it that bad, was Hiruma hurt in some way? And how could she help in this situation?

Filled with new determination, Mamori kept her remaining biscuits, got up, set her backpack on her shoulders and began to walk uphill again. Whatever it was, she was determined to bring Hiruma back to Saikyoudai, and if there was anything she could do to help, she would do it.

As she trekked on the silent road, she tried to recall if anything about Hiruma had changed recently. Knowing what he was like, she was sure he would never reveal any particular problems, especially if they were personal. But could something have been bothering him before that? Was this something that had been building up for months before? Could she have prevented it sooner?

She shook her head. She was worrying too much again, a habit she still struggled to curb, at least in her thoughts. The most that she could recall was Hiruma checking his phone a little more regularly than usual during the summer, but he'd said he was merely getting in contact with other teams for some practice games. And they did end up having those practice games, so she hadn't thought much of it.

But now that she really thought about it, he always had a serious look on whenever he checked his phone. It was too small a moment to really be sure, but she had gone up to him to ask if something was wrong. Cause for a moment, she'd felt sure he looked sad.

No use jumping to conclusions now. She will have to arrive at the Kitae Ryokan and speak to Sugiyo about this as she was the only one who seemed to know what was really going on. It was getting dark now, the sun was setting in a distance and she was finally reaching the small town. But she knew Kitae Ryokan wouldn't be in it.

She took out the slip of paper on which Taka had kindly drawn her a map, as her attempts of drawing one had failed dramatically to the point that even she couldn't read it. Kitae Ryokan was situated near the forest and it was an ideal place for training in any form of sports. Set just by nature, with the cool mountain air and hot springs, it's an ideal place for sportsmen. Going off the road, she felt sure she was getting closer, so she checked her map again and...

The sound of what she thought was a plate being smashed forced her to look up from her map and in the direction the sound had came from. It was still quite a distance, and she had forgotten how remote the Ryokan could be, but she felt sure this was the right place.

She began to sprint forward, wondering if someone was injured and needed help. Dim lights were already set in the Ryokan, becoming a soft beacon to guide her. She heard a loud, booming voice, but couldn't decipher the words. As she got closer, she heard what seemed to be a lot of mumbling between what she felt sure was an older man and woman. The conversation was not pleasant at all and she felt her heart sink.

Was Hiruma a part of this?

As she was about to reach the compound, she spotted a woman in a kimono, silver grey hair pinned up in a neat bun, a pocket watch in her left hand, walking towards her. Mamori instantly recognised her.

"Sugiyo-san!" she called out as she ran towards the elderly lady.

"Anezaki-san, you are late," said Sugiyo, as she glanced at the pocket watch. "The bus should have arrived half an hour ago.

"I know!" panted Mamori as she stood before Sugiyo, swallowing quickly as she continued. "The bus broke down, and I couldn't sit still, so I walked all the way.

"Hmph," she replied, but her smile showed that she was impressed. "Well then, I suppose timing your arrival is irrelevant. You are not here for any particular training after all.

"Is Hiruma-kun here?" Mamori quickly asked, glancing at the Ryokan with its paper thin walls. She couldn't see anyone, but she could still hear angry mutterings in the back.

Sugiyo's smile stretched further, her eyes almost playful. "Oh yes, he's here. He's been staying here for the past two days now.

"Where is he? Can I see him?" Mamori was desperate to see him as the mutterings grew and reverted to shouting.

Despite sensing Mamori's concern, Sugiyo didn't seem all that bothered by the obvious ruckus happening in her Ryokan. "You will see him... but I suggest keeping your distance until this gets settled. If it ever does..." she cackled a little, then waved at Mamori to follow her into the Ryokan.

"What's going on, Sugiyo-san?" Mamori pulled off her shoes and arranged them to the side as quickly as possible.

"Put these on," said Sugiyo, giving her indoor slippers. "Stay quiet. Do not speak unnecessarily. Just watch and observe. You will understand the situation better if you do so."

Mamori held her breath as she walked down the unusually dark hallway, the only source of light available came from one of the rooms where the source of the commotion was coming from. She could hear their words clearly now.

"You show no respect to me, and you expect me to fulfil your wishes after you deliberately tried to kill me just now!"

"It is not a wish! It is a demand! Stop hiding behind these false pretences, and do as I say, damn it!"

"You filthy, lowly creature! How many times must I repeat myself to make you understand?"

"As many times as it takes!"

"Then you will receive the same answer until the day you die!"

They were standing in front of the door now, Sugiyo's hand resting on the side of the sliding door. "Sugiyo-san..." Mamori whispered, fear filling her. The tension in the air was frightful, the threat of death getting to her. While none of them sounded like Hiruma, the idea that he could be involved in this was too much.

Sugiyo, aware of how afraid Mamori was, spoke to her softly. "Don't worry, this has been happening for quite a bit now. They threaten to kill each other, but they won't as long as I'm here."

"... But what can I do? How can I help?" Mamori couldn't understand what was going on. How did Hiruma get involved in this? And why did Sugiyo ask her to help out on this?

Sugiyo grinned. "We'll just have to see, Anezaki-san."

And with that, she opened the door.

* * *

As you could guess by now, Sugiyo is the Eyeshield 21 novel exclusive character. If you can find the cover, or even one of the insert pages, you can find a picture of her. It is a fact that she owns Kitae Ryokan and the Deimon Devil Bats have trained there during the course of the novel which was set in their fictional place called Igaho which is on a hill. She is also familiar with Doburoku.

Whatever little interaction Mamori and Sugiyo had in the novel, it was a fact that Mamori admired Sugiyo for her administrative skills. But whether or not Sugiyo treated Mamori well, I'm not too sure. For the ease of this story, this is how I will present Sugiyo.

I'll get the next chapter up next week. I apologise for the delay as I have a lot to do for the next few days, but I was still keen to share this with all of you! I really hope you look forward to more! Thank you so much!


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the delay! Got really busy this past week and had to edit this chapter quite a bit before I felt content with the direction. A big thank you to Elis for her help and pointers! It's a rather long chapter so I hope you all enjoy it. :)

* * *

Holding her breath as the door slid open, Mamori braced herself for their reactions, but the scene before her was even more bizarre than she had anticipated. As all eyes fell upon her, their anger subsiding into confusion, Mamori quickly scanned the room.

One yellow light on the ceiling tainted the room, making every shadow larger within the corners. A table sat beneath that light, one cup and one pot remaining on it despite there being two people seated. The woman was seated directly across the door so she was the first person to see Mamori. Wearing an expensive-looking kimono and sitting in an upright posture, Mamori concluded that she must be close to her fifties as she noted the graying hair and wrinkles. But the way she was looked at Mamori gave her an understanding of what it was like to be a deer caught in headlights.

"What is going on here? Who is this?" she asked, her voice hoarse from all the shouting she had just done. The shadows in the room made her look even more unnerving to Mamori as the woman's eyes scanned her from head to toe.

The man at the table, whose back Mamori faced initially, had turned around now and Mamori took a good look at him. His hair was also graying, but his facial features... "Sugiyo, what is going on? Why did you bring this stranger in?" he asked. "She doesn't belong here"

"Yeah, she doesn't."

Mamori's eyes widened at the familiar voice. Standing in the left hand corner of the room, where the shadows shrouded him even more, stood Hiruma. His arms were crossed, and while she could barely make out his face in the darkness, his eyes continued to question her presence.

Mamori gaped, wondering what to say. _I'm sorry for interrupting? I was just here to bring Hiruma back?_ Even she knew this was something she shouldn't be involved in. But Sugiyo smiled at them, unwavered by the tension.

"I needed assistance in the Ryokan. The two of you are obviously creating too much of a mess for me to handle alone," said Sugiyo, her gaze pointedly focused behind the woman where pieces of a broken teacup lay.

The woman sniffed with an air of disapproval around her, her eyes never left Mamori. "She's a mess. Look at her clothes and her hair. She should have at least changed first. She's still carrying her backpack too. Are you so poor to only afford a foreign untrained staff?"

Mamori wasn't sure how to react to all this. Should she play along? What was going on? She looked at Sugiyo who merely waved her hand in dismissal. "I assure you, she is the best assistant I could ever ask for... in this situation."

Her last words were almost mumbled, but Mamori caught them. The woman was still unimpressed, but the man was looking at the woman again and tension continued to build up in the room. Sugiyo motioned for Mamori to put her bag down in a corner, and whispered that she would be bringing a broom and dustpan. For now, just stay quiet and watch the broken shards.

Nodding, Mamori quickly did as she was told. She looked at Hiruma, but he showed no interest in her at this point, and had instead resumed looking at the two people at the table.

"I suppose would you like to continue wasting our time?" the woman finally spoke up.

"Wasting OUR time?!" the man replied, fist curled on the table.

"Of course, you call me all the way out here when it was obvious I was going to refuse your request. Rather than waste your breath, you should be spending this time getting treatment and saving your poor excuse of a body."

"Does it look like I want treatment?!" The man almost stood up, leaning on the table as he did so, but he moved too quickly and he almost fell. Mamori gasped but stayed where she was. "There's only one thing I want and I don't care if I die because of it!

Let me see Kirie!"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "You really do want me to repeat myself. I'm tired of this. I will leave tomorrow morning and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Despite his initially strong demeanour, the man's face slowly changed into one of defeat. Unable to even stand, he went on his knees, his head hanging low. "Please... you have to let me see Kirie... just one last time..."

"I've had enough of this nonsense. I shall retire to my chambers now." The woman stood up, preparing to leave.

"Stay where you are, Kaede."

Sugiyo entered the room once more, passing the broom and dustpan to Mamori, but she motioned Mamori to stay alert. Nodding, Mamori knelt before the broken shards and began to clean them up, making sure she did so quietly so as not to disrupt this heated conversation.

Sugiyo sat by the table, forcing Kaede to do the same. "What more do you want Sugiyo?" the woman named Kaede asked. "I came all the way out here as a favour to you, but you are obviously wasting our time with all this nonsense."

"Yes, you're all wasting my time," replied Sugiyo, pulling out her stopwatch. "You have all been here for a total of three days, four hours, thirty two minutes, three seconds and counting, and in not one of these seconds did you even properly resolve the issue that is at hand."

"There is no issue at all!" cried Kaede, losing her calm demeanour. "It is not my issue when this man's demand is ludicrous and he knows it!"

"He is asking to see his wife one last time, Kaede." Sugiyo looked at her with disdain. "It is a sensible demand considering the situation he is in."

"The rules are the rules, Sugiyo. No male member of the family branch is allowed on temple grounds. So neither he nor his rotten son may come."

As Mamori carefully picked up the smaller shards, the woman's words began to paint the picture for Mamori, but she was still terribly confused. Mamori looked at Hiruma, feeling sure that he had just been mentioned and wondered if he would explain this to her.

But he refused to look at her, and instead continued to watch the two people. It was then that Mamori felt shame wash over her. She shouldn't be here. She shouldn't even be involved in this personal matter at all. Why did Sugiyo invite her here?

Sugiyo was deep in thought at Kaede's words. "So let me make this clear, only females related in some way to the Sato family branch can enter the temple? And even though you have full power to do so, you will not recover Kirie?"

"I see no reason to remove her from her final resting place. Hiruma Yuuya," Kaede glared at the man before her. "I will, in no way, do any favour for you after the pain you have put my sister and I through."

Mamori had cleared up every little piece of the porcelain shards and in the deathly silence through which Kaede's words resounded, she heard the slight waver in Kaede's voice. As Mamori stole a glance at the man, Hiruma Yuuya, the shadows had completely claimed his face.

There was nothing left to be said.

Kaede stood up and left promptly, not without glancing at Mamori for a moment, still with an air of disapproval. The tension in the air began to dissipate, but what was left made Mamori even more uncomfortable.

It was despair.

Hiruma finally moved away from the corner, approaching his father. "Get up," he said.

Yuuya nodded, and without another word, Hiruma bent down and hauled his father up by his under arm, allowing the old man to lean against him. Mamori got up to help, but Sugiyo held on to her shoulder, shaking her head. Once the two of them left did Sugiyo finally speak.

"You can go to the back area to talk to him. There is a lot that needs to be discussed."

"Why...?" Mamori asked, her voice shaky from fear and sadness. "Why did you ask me to come here?"

Sugiyo's usual grin was replaced by another expression that Mamori had never seen before. Whatever this situation was, if it made Sugiyo smile that way... "Because there may be something you and Youichi might be able to do to solve this."

Mamori was about to ask how, but Sugiyo had taken the dustpan and broom from Mamori and left the room. Confused, but determined to at least do what she could, Mamori took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and quickly went outside to where Sugiyo had instructed.

It was already dark, and there wasn't much light around as most of the outdoor lamps were dim, but it was enough to see Hiruma casually walking towards her as if it wasn't a big deal. Mamori had expected him to be angry, to demand why she was here and how dare she intrude in his personal matters. But he looked exhausted, and somewhat informed of why she was here.

"That damn old lady sure had the nerve to invite you here."

"I'm sorry," her words tumbled out. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was this serious and I really shouldn't have been involved in something so personal."

Hiruma didn't say a word, he merely continued to look at her. Mamori wasn't sure how to interpret what he was feeling at that moment. He looked almost apologetic as well.

"Is... is your father alright?"

"He's fine. Fucker wore himself out after a day of shouting and throwing things around. Fucking asked for it."

"... Are you alright?"

Hiruma's eyes seem to sharpen at the question, but he grinned. "Keh, how do you expect me to answer that one?"

Mamori cringed. "I'm sorry. I'm just so worried but I don't know what to do..."

"Stop worrying, Fucking Manager, this isn't a burden for you to carry."

"I know it's not my place to pry but..." Mamori hesitated, but surely there was a reason for her being there. "Just… What's really going on, Hiruma-kun? Why is your father reacting that way? Why are you involved?"

Hiruma kept still for a moment. Then with one of his long fingers, beckoned Mamori to follow him as he began to walk. Mamori walked beside him, and it wasn't until they were out of the Ryokan did he begin to speak.

"If that damn lady brought you here, then she must have something planned that will have you involved. So I'll tell you everything."

There was a short pause which felt like a stab through her heart. Hiruma had always trusted her in a lot of things, but she knew it meant a lot for him to trust her in something as personal as this.

She nodded to assure him.

He didn't hesitate. "My father is sick. Cancer. Asshole finally smoked himself to his grave as predicted. What no one expected though was his sudden desire to see his wife again... Yeah, my mother."

Feeling rather embarrassed for the way she looked at Hiruma, she decided to keep her eyes forward on the dark road.

"Sato Kirie. She and her sister Kaede took care of a temple all the way in Akita. There is one major temple that the Sato family takes care of and handles, and they were both in charge of it... until Sato Kirie fell in love with Hiruma Yuuya."

They continued to walk on, and Mamori noticed the shift of tone in Hiruma's voice.

"Sato Kaede took over the temple once her sister was married. The Sato family didn't approve of the marriage one bit, so Sato Kaede claimed she had lost a sister. But it wasn't until her sister really lost her life did her words ring true."

Mamori opened her mouth to ask what happened, but shook her head. Hiruma noticed that.

"Accident. She was crossing the road. The car's brakes were faulty. At that time, that fucking old man I call my father was reaching the peak of his success but he couldn't afford his wife's funeral yet. So he allowed the Sato family to handle it.

Before he realised it, his wife's ashes were taken away and kept at the temple. He thought it was fine, that it was better that way. That was where she belonged after all."

"How about you? Were you okay with that?"

Hiruma narrowed his eyes. "I was a fucking kid. I didn't know what to think. All I knew was that my mother's gone and there was no way she was coming back. The Old Man wasn't that religious, so we never even built a shrine for her. She was gone, and we moved on.

So imagine how fucking surprised we were when he starts raving on about wanting to see his wife again."

"How did you all end up at the Kitae Ryokan? It's a strange place to be at."

"Can't say I care much about the relationships between these old people. The Old Man was here first, and then Sugiyo got Sato Kaede to come in. I was called in the next day because he started throwing things and Sugiyo needed someone to grab him when that happens."

"So the broken tea cup?"

"His work. Yes. He refused to seek treatment on his condition. He's determined to die but wants to see her ashes before that."

"... Why can't he see her?"

Hiruma was quiet for a moment. He led her down another path which seemed to be taking them back to the Ryokan. "There are many sections to the Sato temple, each steeped in its own tradition. The one temple Sato Kirie's ashes are in can only be entered by the females in the Sato family or its branches, family extensions. No men, no outsiders."

Mamori had heard of such traditions before, but to hear that it was still being practiced felt almost absurd. "Why was your mother's ashes kept in there, out of all places?"

Hiruma shrugged. "Obviously Sato Kaede had always wanted her sister back and she wanted to ensure she stayed there. That's why even though she could bring the ashes for the old man, she won't. So no matter how much my father begs or even threatens her life, she will never let go of her sister."

Frowning, Mamori wondered how hopeless the situation really was. "Can't _you_ do anything to get her?"

Hiruma grinned. "Were you hoping I'd blackmail my own darling aunt?"

"No! Well..." Mamori trailed off, raising her shoulders.

He cackled in response. "You know me too well, Fucking Manager. I thought about it, but I don't think even blackmail would get her to let go of her sister. I could probably have blackmailed her cousins that are staying there currently, but they're aware of my presence and my... abilities. Keh, she probably has more dirt on them than I do. Pretty sure nothing I do will make them let it go. And as much as I know where that temple is, I wouldn't want to mess with the Sato family and outright steal those ashes."

"I didn't say anything about stealing."

"I'm just letting you know I thought of all the possibilities," he grinned. "Unless a female family member from the Sato family, or a branch of the Sato family, agrees to bring those ashes out, that old man will never get his wish."

They were quiet as they approached the Ryokan. The sound of their steps and the loud chirping from the crickets were the only sounds filling in the silence between them. Mamori allowed the situation to sink in for a moment before asking Hiruma one last question.

"Do you really want your father to see your mother again?"

Hiruma was quiet as he kept his eyes on the Ryokan. He thought about it carefully before replying, "I don't particularly care. That old man will never seek treatment so he's going to die anyway." His tone shifted again with one word. "But..."

He was cut off. "There you two are. Seriously, thirteen minute and twenty seven seconds for a walk? Can you waste my time any further?"

Sugiyo stood by the entrance of the Ryokan, stopwatch in hand once more.

"Keh, didn't know you still wanted us around."

"Of course I need you two around. There is a lot to discuss."

"What's there left to discuss?" Hiruma asked, sounding annoyed by this as they approached her. "It's over, he's lost. Just let him die in misery."

"On the contrary, all isn't quite lost yet." Sugiyo grinned. "There is another possible route that can be taken. I hope you've kept Anezaki well informed, Youichi.

Because this will depend on what you two will decide."


	3. Chapter 3

All I can say is, I have the smartest readers and I love you all. *winks* Big thanks to Elis for the help and making this chapter pretty fun to work on! More after the chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Sugiyo brought them into another room within the ryokan, one which was cosier than the other. It was a lot bigger, the decoration in a style more familiar to Mamori and reminded her of other more fancier ryokans she had stayed at with her family before. The last time the team was here, the boys stayed in a hall while Mamori and Suzuna slept in a room similar to the one she was in earlier. For Sugiyo to allow them to use such a fancy room simply for discussion aroused suspicion within Mamori.

Sugiyo had a tea set ready on the table. As they knelt on the cushions, Mamori was about to offer to serve the tea, but Sugiyo's hands were swift and she began to pour the hot liquid into their cups.

"So," Hiruma began, unwilling to wait for Sugiyo to be done. "What the hell were you harping on back there about there being another possible route?"

"Patience," she replied as she carefully filled the third cup. Then she picked up a cup and passed it to Mamori, who bowed her head lightly as she accepted it. She gave one to Hiruma, his left eye twitching in annoyance, though he took it.

It wasn't until after she took a sip out of her own cup, carefully savouring the slightly tense moment, did she continue. "The Sato family is a crafty one. When a member of the Sato family dies, there is a particular building prepared specifically to keep the ashes in. So there is no need to keep Kirie in that temple."

Hiruma didn't respond. Sugiyo took another long sip, prompting Mamori to ask the obvious. "So Kirie's ashes were purposely placed in that temple... out of spite?"

Sugiyo grinned. "It is easy to assume so, but maybe it's a lot more than that? Out of the two sisters, Kaede has always been the tight-lipped one. Who knows what her real agenda is. But with the recent turn of events, it's proven to be quite an obstacle."

Hiruma spoke up. "Look, who cares if that Fucking Old Man never sees her ashes. He wants to die anyways, and he will die whether he sees her or not."

"It's not just about seeing the ashes of his dead wife," replied Sugiyo, her eyes narrowed. "He is seeking redemption, to apologise and pray for her soul before he departs from this world and possibly sees her."

He snorted. "Are you fucking kidding me? That old man believes in that shit?"

The bitterness in his voice alarmed Mamori. "Hiruma-kun..."

"Don't even try to turn this into some religious story, you damn old lady," Hiruma snarled. "He didn't give a shit when she died, and all these years he didn't even think about seeing her. Fuck, he didn't even have tablets or any form of offering in the house dedicated to her memory. The man has gone fucking insane since he got diagnosed, he's calling out for his wife in his dying wishes and doesn't know when to give up."

"So you're saying it's best to let him die in regret?" asked Sugiyo.

Hiruma narrowed his eyes. "I'm saying he deserves to die with disappointment. I'm sure she felt the same way."

The way he said that made Mamori's heart ache. This wasn't right... no one should say something like that. And she felt sure it must have hurt for even Hiruma to say such a thing.

Sugiyo let out a soft sigh as she carefully placed her cup back on the table. "I see that you aren't fully aware of the situation he was in when Kirie passed away. You are aware of the bad relationship between him and the Sato family, yes?"

"What about it?"

"Then consider this. There is a big rift between your father and the Sato family. Once your mother's ashes were taken away, he was actually instructed to forget her, to completely ignore the fact that a member of the Sato family had ever been married to someone of lower ranking, especially now that she has died. Hiruma Kirie never existed to the Sato family. And your father agreed to that out of guilt for failing to protect her. So of course, any form of memorabilia, pictures or anything that would remind the world that Hiruma Kirie existed would be removed. There was no way for him to perform any offerings or prayers for your mother.

Her marriage to Hiruma Yuuya never existed."

Hiruma remained silent for a moment, allowing this truth to sink in, but Mamori couldn't help but cry out. "That's terrible! How could they even do that? It's bad enough that they put Kirie's ashes in such a temple, but to make her marriage to Hiruma-kun's father non-existent?"

"I understand your anger, Anezaki-san, but you and I know well enough that it isn't in our place to lecture such ludicrous traditions. That is the way they run their family. We can gain nothing from questioning it."

"Then what do you propose we do?" asked Hiruma, arms crossed as he glared at Sugiyo. "You said that you have a plan, and it involves me and Anezaki. What could we possibly do to even fix any of this shit?"

Sugiyo let out a soft, amused laugh. She picked up her cup of tea once more, sipping it carefully as the eyes of the two youths watched her. "I'm glad you brought that up. While we can gain nothing from questioning the traditions of the Sato family, we can definitely challenge them."

"How?" Hiruma asked, curiosity buried within the word.

"As you know, only female members of the Sato family and its branches are allowed within that temple. The branches are of course, the members of the Sato family who married into other families but are still essentially a part of the Sato family. So regardless, they will have access to that temple.

Now, while they may be keen to pretend that Sato Kirie never married Hiruma Yuuya, they slipped up in one matter."

"What matter?" asked Mamori.

Sugiyo grinned. "Kirie's death certificate and other official documents state her name as Hiruma Kirie."

Hiruma's eyes widened at this point. "You have got to be fucking kidding me..."

Mamori was confused. "Eh? What is it?"

Sugiyo grinned. "This means that the Hiruma family is, regardless of the circumstances, a branch of the Sato family."

Hiruma growled. "Don't tell me..."

"Tell you what?" Mamori urged on.

"This means that all you need is a female to marry into the Hiruma family... and she will have access to that temple."

With that, Sugiyo was staring right at Mamori. And it was then that everything Sugiyo had suggested fell into place.

Mamori's jaw dropped. "Y-you... want me to marry Hiruma-kun? Actually marry him? Legally?"

"First of all, it's not that I want you to marry. I am laying this option down for you, to show that all is not lost. Secondly, yes this has to be a legal marriage if we are ever to convince the Sato family. Thirdly, the marriage is specifically to the one named Hiruma Youichi. Hiruma Yuuya is unfit for marriage as you are well aware of," Sugiyo laughed.

"This isn't a time for jokes, you fucking matchmaker," Hiruma's voice rose, barely holding back from shouting. "So this is why you bring the Fucking Manager all the way here? So that I can put a ring on her fucking finger and she can waltz into the temple and get my mother's ashes?"

"It will not be as simple as that, it seems," said Sugiyo. "There may be more to the Sato family that we may be unaware of. But the marriage will make retrieving Kirie's ashes possible, and who are we to deny that possibility?"

"But... it's marriage! An actual marriage!" Mamori's voice felt uncontrollable from the shock. "This isn't just me having to wear a ring... I'm going to be married! And to..." She couldn't help but glance at Hiruma, who seemed more intent on giving Sugiyo the worse death glare he had ever given to any American Football player.

"I hope you're not filled with the ideals of what marriage is supposed to be like, Anezaki-san," Sugiyo's eyes rested on her. "Marriage isn't just some form of union between two people in love. If you must know, marriages are more often than not meant to be treated as a business. A form of agreement between two individuals who then work together to achieve their goals. The common goals related to marriage are the usual; owning your own house, creating financial stability, building a family together, and so forth. Don't you agree?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"But for the two of you, it can be much bigger than that. The reason why I could even think of this as being possible is because from my observation, the two of you work together well enough for your common goal. And, dare I say it, you both also act like... excuse my rather crude example... an old married couple." Sugiyo laughed once more.

"Fucking old lady," Hiruma growled.

"Don't give me that tone. You may both argue because of your own stubbornness, but there is mutual respect and understanding between the two of you. Things may have been different back in high school, but your relationship has evolved throughout the years. Being married won't change the fact that you both wish to win the upcoming American Football tournament. That can continue. But the marriage will affect the Sato family, and who are we to deny that possibility? I'm sure you would want to get back at them, Youichi, or at least have an insider into the Sato family."

"Fucking old lady," Hiruma repeated. "Don't you dare suggest I use my manager for such a fucking retarded reason. If I want to get inside information of the Sato family, then I'll find my own fucking way to get it. You may think that marrying Anezaki won't change much because we act like a stinking couple already, parenting the damn team, but what you're asking isn't going to allow things between us to remain the same as always.

You're asking Anezaki to change her fucking name. If there are more rules to the Sato family, then she will have to bear the burden for it. If we have to prove we're married, she's the one who has to move in with me. Fucking get it now?"

Mamori held her breath for a moment as she watched Hiruma leaned forward, the fierce undertone in his voice crystal clear. "It is Anezaki's loss in this marriage. And I will not allow my manager to succumb herself to this over some fucking ashes."

"Wait."

Hiruma and Sugiyo looked at Mamori, surprised at the sound of her voice. Even Mamori was surprised herself. A lot of thoughts were rushing through her mind, making it hard for her to fully figure out what she was really thinking and what it was that she wanted to do. So her instinct took full control. "Just... wait for a moment. I'm sorry, Sugiyo-san, could you excuse the two of us? There's something I need to discuss with him."

Sugiyo nodded, sipping her tea. "Go right ahead."

Mamori shot up, grabbed Hiruma's wrist and pulled him out of the room. Her eyes remained forward as Hiruma spoke behind her. "What the fuck, Anezaki? What are you doing?"

"I... I don't know," she replied as they walked down the hallway.

"... You're not seriously considering it, are you?"

"Yes." Mamori shook her head. "No! I..." The kitchen was nearby. It would have to do. Entering it, she finally let go of Hiruma's wrist. She turned to see him giving her a rather irked look, but he stayed where he was, arms crossed and lips pressed together.

"So which is it?" he asked.

"Look, I..." She realised her thoughts were completely cluttered, mixed with emotions and a sense of urgency. She opened her mouth, but she couldn't place the right words. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Oh please let this be the right way. "Let's just consider what Sugiyo is saying carefully."

"Don't you dare consider the marriage seriously, Fucking Manager," Hiruma growled.

Mamori cringed. "But what if it really is the only way? What if the marriage can solve this? Let's just look at the situation more carefully, Hiruma-kun. I know marriage is a big responsibility, it's really serious and for us to even rush into this is absurd. But we need to consider the circumstances we're in." Mamori began to pace herself across the kitchen. "First, let's consider the fact that because of this mess you had to miss practice for three days."

"What about it?"

"Isn't it possible that this will continue? Your father will not stop until he has your mother's ashes back. He knows there's an obvious rift between the Hiruma and the Sato family, but he seems to have that stubbornness and anger which I'm going to assume is a Hiruma trait. Except that he is disoriented and weak, but that won't stop him from fighting. If that's the case, then he will continue to be reckless and you're the only family he has to stop him, and that will affect our future games. If we're married then-"

"You're not taking care of the old man too, Anezaki! Why the hell are you even considering this?!"

"I'm saying I am willing to share that burden with you, Hiruma-kun!" Mamori placed a palm on her chest, trying to calm herself. Why was her heart beating so fast? "This isn't just for you, this is for the whole team! This is for our dream to win the Rice Bowl! And I cannot deny the fact that this entire problem with the Hiruma and Sato family will continue to plague you until your father..." Mamori bit her lip. She couldn't bear to say it. "And who knows how long that will take so... If this marriage can help ease that somehow, can help you so that we can focus on our common goal then..."

"Do you seriously think that?"

"Eh?"

Hiruma sighed. He walked towards the kitchen counter and leaned the back of his hip against it. "You know, I've taken advantage of that fucking selfless attitude of yours countless times before. You make it too easy, and here you are doing it again. But for once in your life, Anezaki, think of yourself. You do realise how this will affect you right?"

Mamori tried to say it. She knew the list, but again the words and her emotions were mixing together so much, that the words only came as Hiruma spoke them out loud.

"You're changing your family name. You will be going under my family registry. You will be forced to do things to prove that this marriage is valid, which will even include moving in with me. Fuck, you may even have to do things for the Sato family to convince them of it."

"I know that!" Mamori cried, trying to swallow the emotions building in to her. It was only as she shouted did she realise what it was.

She was scared. "I know... but Hiruma-kun, I don't want you to face all of this alone. There's so much bitterness and despair going on right now, and I don't think... I _know_ you cannot handle this alone. So if I can be your ally, and if by being your ally means being your wife, then I'll do it."

Hiruma glanced away, digging deep into his own thoughts too. She knew he would never admit to him needing her help, and the seriousness of the situation did call for an ally. But was she really the best option? "What about your family?"

She flinched at his words. "... I don't know!" Mamori leaned against a different counter, trying to calm her thoughts down. He brought up a good point. What about her own family?

Hiruma let out another sigh as he stood straight to stop leaning against the counter. He began to take a step towards her. "I think it's best if we don't get your family involved any further in this mess. So if we do get married, this would mean having to hide your marriage from them."

Mamori nodded. "That's true. It would be best to hide this from them as much as possible. So maybe moving in with you may be a good idea? I don't think it would be much of a problem, seeing as the games are coming closer and with our exams coming up too, I'm sure I could come up with a way to explain this to them."

He was getting closer to her now. "You don't have to stay with me throughout the marriage anyway. Only when that damn Sato family is around and causing trouble."

"Right. And we'll wear our rings only when they're around as well. Hopefully they do not need much convincing about the Hiruma family being a branch of the Sato family, and this may all be over before we know it."

"We get my mother's ashes back, my father can finally stop being a giant asshole, we annul the marriage, you get back your name, and we win the Rice Bowl." Hiruma grinned as he finally stood before her. "Sounds like a plan. Our biggest trick play perhaps?"

Mamori laughed. "Really, Hiruma-kun? A Football reference for this?"

"We'll be fooling everyone around us with this marriage, don't you think? We want the Sato family to believe in the Hiruma family so we can take advantage of them. We have to keep this a secret from not just your family, but everyone else around us including the Wizards and everyone we play against. How can you not treat this as a game?"

Mamori continued to laugh, slowly feeling at ease. "Who would have thought that we would be pulling off a trick play even off of the field? The fact that I can totally follow your line of thinking proves that we just may be able to pull this one off too. Just..." Mamori sighed a little, her eyes lowered as she looked at Hiruma's shirt. She had an urge to hold him for a moment, as fear and doubt gripped her. "Just watch my back, okay?"

"Keh, I should be the one asking that. I don't know shit about marriage." He lowered his head to catch her gaze.

"As if I would know!" she snapped, but she kept eye contact with him.

"You're the motherly one, and you have both your parents too. Pretty sure you're the experienced one here!"

"Oh, don't be silly! We may be getting married but we're still going to go about our daily lives, arguing and plotting, just that we'll get through whatever obstacles ahead of us... together." Mamori smiled up at him, and realised that his towering presence alone felt comforting at that moment.

This may turn out for the better. And she felt sure he thought the same thing.

Hiruma's grin softened to one of a smile. "We're really doing this, eh?"

She giggled in response. "Let's discuss this further with Sugiyo-san."

* * *

Congratulations to all who knew they were getting married! The hints were pretty obvious, wasn't it? Haha! But even with that being predictable, I hope you continue to look forward to the future chapters as it will get pretty interesting! To be completely honest, the idea for this fic came to me from a simple thought of what happened if Hiruma and Mamori were married and had to keep it a secret from everyone. And now here it is, expanding a lot more than I predicted.

I hope you continue to enjoy and support this fic in the future chapters. Thank you so much and look forward to the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes:** Sorry for taking so long and thank you for the continuous support and kind comments this fic has been receiving! It's seriously been overwhelming and unexpected, so really, thank you so so much for the support and being such amazing readers!

I just want to make a little announcement to say that the reason why I took so long is because my darling best friend and beta, Elis, has gotten married and I had the wonderful honour of being her bridesmaid! And as this fic tackles the subject of marriage, this is the perfect opportunity to say congratulations, Elis and to her new husband whom I am also very fond of! May your journey together be filled with happiness, joy, blessings, but most of all... love! Also, thank you once again for taking time out of your busy schedule to beta this! Love you!

Now on to the fic!

* * *

Banba heard the familiar tone from his phone, alerting him of the mail he had just received. Staring at the bag that was placed near his feet, Banba decided it was too much trouble to get up at this point. Whatever it was, it could wait.

Fists wrapped tightly around the bar above him, he carried on lifting the 170 kg weight for the 86th time, counting his way to 100 when Yamato left the locker room, looking fresh after his own late night workout at the well-equipped Saikyoudai gym. Not everyone would stay in the gym this late, but Banba had a personal goal to achieve, and by the looks of it, Yamato had one too. Though instead of signing off with his usual cheery goodbye, Yamato looked a little concerned with his eyes glued to the screen of his phone.

"Have you checked your phone?" he asked.

"You're distracting me," Banba replied. 92... 93...

"I believe Anezaki sent a mail to all of us, you included."

Banba stopped at 95. It wasn't like him to stop when he was so close to reaching 100. But the Wizards manager had finally contacted them after leaving for over a day to search for their missing Quarterback. He looked at the clock in the Saikyoudai gym room, it was almost 10pm. "Took her long enough."

"And it looks like she would take longer." Yamato sighed as he placed his phone back in his pocket.

This didn't sit well with Banba. "Did she find him?"

"She did, actually. Just read your mail."

Banba reached for his bag and picked up his bottle of water first before grabbing his phone. He took big gulps as he checked his mail.

_I've found him and he's fine. Everything is alright, but it will take time to settle the issues he's having. I hope to hasten the process. We will be back in Tokyo by Monday and catch up as much as we can. Keep training. – Anezaki Mamori_

"Somehow this doesn't sound that assuring," said Banba as he threw his phone back in his bag. "It must be serious if it's taking this long to settle it."

"I'm sure there isn't anything to worry about for now," Yamato replied. "Knowing Hiruma and Anezaki, they're going to do whatever it takes to ensure this issue doesn't affect our future games any further."

"But if it really does involve Anezaki, you do have to wonder what sort of role she's playing. I hope he didn't get into anything dangerous that could endanger their lives. Like a mafia or something."

Yamato laughed. "Mafia?"

Banba shrugged. "It is Hiruma after all."

"Right, because of the guns and blackmail." He shook his head, though he remained amused. "Honestly, it's hard to predict when it involves Hiruma. It could be something incredibly drastic, or just some domestic issues that he needed Anezaki's womanly touch to handle. But there's no use speculating now." Yamato made his way towards the exit of the gym, his smile remaining as he turned to look at Banba for a moment. "Either way, we don't have our Quarterback and Manager with us for the rest of the week. Pretty sure a couple of the members would be sad to not have their favourite manager watch over them. The newbies are going to slack off, but I'm sure we all know what needs to be done, and that's what those two are thinking right at this moment."

Banba grinned as he laid back down on the bench press, the last sentence in Anezaki's message sprang forth in his mind as he lifted the weights five more times. There is training to be done. "Win the Rice Bowl."

oOo

Mamori read and reread her message over and over again before finally sucking her breath in, nodding in conviction that this was the right thing to say, and pressed the send button. As the little sent display appeared, Mamori tried to relax, but she still felt tense around her shoulders. Breathing in a couple more times, she told herself that this was not the time to have such doubtful thoughts.

Believing she had done what she could, she got up in time to see Hiruma opening the sliding door, Sugiyo behind him. "Are you done?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good. He's awake."

Mamori nodded. "Let's go then."

She walked along the hallway with them, Sugiyo leading the way as Hiruma walked beside her. "I have just spoken to the people at the temple. I've confirmed that the ceremony will be held this Saturday. As it is Thursday night, approaching Friday morning, we have no time to waste."

She nodded once more. "Okay."

"So did you mail everyone?" Hiruma asked.

"To all the key players, yes," Mamori replied. "I'm sure they would all be really worried but I believe they would understand and keep training."

"Keh, not worried about them," Hiruma grinned. "They're the best players of Saikyoudai. Even if I'm shot dead, they'd still fight their way to the win."

Mamori cringed, then shook her head. "Don't say that, we're in a crucial position now and we're in this together. If you're not that worried about the team, why leave me in that room when I could be helping you or Sugiyo with the preparations?"

He glanced at her before looking forward again. "We're just getting the old man and damn woman ready for the 'special' announcement we're about to make, seeing how limited our time is after the discussion with Sugiyo. You might as well do something more important than that. In other words, I know you sent a message to someone more important than the key players of the Wizards."

Mamori froze for a second, her eyes wide and staring at Hiruma, who merely grinned at her. A flash of concern crossed her mind but she quickly pushed it aside as a low moan could be heard from one of the rooms ahead.

Sugiyo groaned. "He better not be trying to get up."

She moved quickly to open the door, Hiruma and Mamori behind her. To their surprise, Hiruma Yuuya merely got up from his futon to grab a glass of water beside him. The room was dark, barely lit by a lamp by his bedside. As they entered the room, Mamori took a good look at him, and thought once again that the Hirumas did look quite alike, except that he didn't have the elf ears Hiruma had, and his hair was jet black as Hiruma's should be.

"Yuuya, you could have waited," Sugiyo scolded. "I don't want you spilling water all over the floor. Frankly, I'm tired of cleaning up after you."

He shook his head in reply. His eyes were dead set on Mamori, and that was when she realised his eyes were dark brown, a different colour than Hiruma's green ones. He nodded at her, urging both her and Hiruma to sit down beside his futon.

Once they sat on the cushions provided, he finally looked at Hiruma. "Sugiyo told me a little bit of what is going on. Tell me more."

Hiruma narrowed his eyes. "Anezaki and I are getting married as a means to bring Kirie back. What more do you need to know?"

Yuuya frowned at his son's nonchalant reply. So he turned towards Mamori. "Are you okay with this?"

Mamori nodded, although her fingers clutched the hem of her shirt, stretching it. "We believe it is the best way to settle this issue."

He seemed to have noticed the tense tone in her voice, and he spat out his first word. "Keh. It's one thing to get my son involved, but for you to get involved is ridiculous. You are a stranger, an outsider. Don't force yourself into our problems, this is none of your concern."

"Fucking old timer," Hiruma growled.

"Honestly, making a fool out of marriage just to get Kirie back. Both of you are too young to get involved in this any further. I will find a way to get her back myself no matter what it takes, so you two idiots just stay out of this."

"You say the same shit all the time. If you could do that, we wouldn't be doing this in the first place, you idiot!" Hiruma snapped, but Mamori placed a hand on Hiruma's shoulder. She looked at him for a moment, and with a frustrated sigh, he nodded. "Fine."

Mamori smiled at him for a moment to thank him, then turned to Yuuya, raising her head in an attempt to ready herself. "Hiruma-san, I'm sorry for speaking out like this in a family matter. I want you to understand that I am not here to meddle, but to seriously figure out a way to solve this problem together," said Mamori, the tone in her voice becoming calm. "I do not wish to trouble you or your son further, but we both realise that this marriage could help-"

"This marriage helps NO ONE!" Yuuya barked, his own fists gripping the sheets. "Listen to me, young lady, you do not understand what you are dealing with here. This family, this feud, you would just get in the way, make things more complicated! Stop forcing yourself and stop this at once!"

"Yuuya!" Sugiyo snapped, but Mamori continued to talk in that calm tone.

"I am not forcing myself. I am already here, I am already involved," Mamori smiled. "And I cannot turn away anymore, so I believe that this is the right thing to do. I will be here for you, Hiruma-san, and I will be your ally, just as I have been with your son for the past five years now. The two of us have faced great opponents, many challenging obstacles, a lot of heartaches and pain. And we will continue to face them together, because we both have the same goal, and we both want to see it come true. And if this feud is getting in the way of that, I will fight alongside with him."

Yuuya's jaw dropped at the words Mamori had spoken. He looked at his son once more. "I know I have gotten you involved for too long, and I want you to go back and focus on your games. It will be over soon, so stop this. Don't marry each other and ruin your lives, your future."

Hiruma let out a cynical laugh. "Ruin our lives and future? If you keep this up there's no doubt you will ruin it for us anyways! Do you really expect me to believe that after you've been keeping me here for over three fucking days now and I've seen your condition, where you can barely stand and you're trying to kill someone, that you will somehow figure out a solution to stop this feud?"

Yuuya shook his head, looking weaker with each word being uttered. "This is ridiculous."

"Of course it's ridiculous! This entire fucking feud, you demanding Kirie back, you being sick, this whole shit we're facing is utterly ridiculous!" Hiruma leaned forward, his eyes gleaming in a familiar way Mamori recognised as one looking at a challenge, and he had a plan. "Which is why we need something as ridiculous as this to fight it back. And if there's anyone who can best support me and fight this ridiculous muck we're in, then it's this idiot right next to me."

Despite being called an idiot, Mamori took it all in stride. She supposed they were both idiots for still going along with this. "Please, Hiruma-san, please understand and support us. We need you on our side."

Yuuya began to grow weak, his body slumped forward. "... I still don't know if this is right. Why do you need me on your side? What do you want from me?"

"Your blessing," Hiruma quickly replied, though the word obviously tasted bitter in his mouth. "Because Anezaki won't be getting any from her parents, and she will need your support too throughout this marriage."

Yuuya seemed to straighten up at this. He looked at Mamori with such pitiful eyes that it confused Mamori. "I'm all right!" she assured him. "I need to keep my parents away from this as much as I can. But it would be great to have well... a family member supporting us. Hiruma-I mean... Youichi-san is against it. He just wanted to tell you after the wedding and keep you as distant as possible from our entire plan. But earlier when we were discussing the wedding, I convinced him that you are important in ensuring we bring Kirie back. We need you to be there for us in some way, even if it's just to bear witness to the wedding. So please...

Help us."

It was at this point that Yuuya finally laid back down, a tired sigh escaped his lips. They were silent for a moment as Yuuya breathed deeply for a couple of minutes, which seemed to calm all of them down. Only when his breathing became slow did he finally speak. "I honestly never saw you as the marrying type, Youichi," he said with a weary, morose voice. "After everything you've witnessed, all that I've put you through..." He chuckled. "You are cruel, and reckless, but you did it to survive. And admittedly I taught you nothing about caring for another so I fear this union would only result in a lot of pain and heartbreak. But..."

Yuuya closed his eyes and continued. "I know... You have met many people who have taught you kindness, compassion and strength. And this woman next to you continues to exemplify that. You are strong in your own way, Youichi, but you are stubborn, and sometimes selfish. My request is that you care for her, better than I did for Kirie, and protect her. For this feud, her role, will surely take its toll on her. It will not be easy but..."

He opened his eyes for a moment to reach out and grab both Hiruma and Mamori's hands, placing them between his hands with their hands laid on top of each other.

"You have my blessing. Even if it is temporary, I wish this marriage great success. Go and tell Kaede. It has begun."

oOo

Sugiyo had left after that to check on Kaede, leaving Mamori and Hiruma in the room, silent until Yuuya had finally fallen asleep. They continued to hold hands, even after Yuuya let them go. They shared glances at each other, wondering what to do or even say next. Everything was going by so fast, and it was far from over.

The heavy words Yuuya had spoken seemed to hang above them, it urged Hiruma to finally speak up. "He has a right to worry about me," he said with a quiet voice unlike him. "He knows I will be the one to make this fucking marriage fail."

"Don't say that." Mamori gripped his hand in hers as she felt his own slowly slip away. "He may have a point. You are cruel, you are stubborn, you are selfish. But I know you, I know you did all that to win, to have that one moment of glory in your hands. If this marriage fails it is because we both want it to fail, so don't worry. As long as we share common goals, we'll pull through."

Hiruma stared at Mamori's hand that continued to grip his. His fingers tangled themselves with hers to return that warm grasp. "You sure know how to speak pretty words, Anezaki. But you heard what he said. Between all of us, this will be the hardest for you. Trust me when I say that that woman fully intends to crush you, especially since she will know our motives. So listen to me, Anezaki..."

He slowly pulled her closer to him, his eyes staring directly into hers. "If this marriage is a contract, and we are merely conducting business in order to save this family, you are on the losing streak. You should be gaining the most rewards here, not us. Even if you think it's all right, what with you and your damn self-sacrificing ways, I will not accept it. So I would like to give you something in return."

Mamori cocked her head slightly. "I... don't understand."

Hiruma sighed in annoyance. "What do you really want, Anezaki? Especially from me, as a... _thank you_... for all the shit I'm putting you through."

He seemed so out of character that Mamori wanted to laugh at the strange sight before her, but only a smile escaped from the corner from her lips. "That's really sweet of you, but I really don't need anything right now."

He rolled his eyes. "Damn it, Anezaki. Fine. You get three wishes."

Mamori's eyes widened and swallowed the exclamation she was about to make. "Eh? A-are you sure? Three? One is enough!"

"Fucking Manager," Hiruma growled impatiently. "I will give you three, don't try to bargain here. You can tell me what you want when you've finally figured it out. Learn to be selfish, and trust me when I say that you deserve every bit of it for everything that you're about to go through."

Mamori wanted to protest some more, but Sugiyo quietly slid the door open. " Kaede is dressed and ready to see you both."

oOo

Sitting before Kaede proved to be more tense than it had been with Yuuya. Kaede merely stared at the both of them with a serious expression, though sometimes she looked amused. Kaede was the only one drinking her tea and made it a point to savour the flavour and the moment as both Hiruma and Mamori began to feel exhausted, both wanting nothing more than for this day to end.

When Kaede finally spoke, her words sliced through the air. "This truly has to be the most absurd wedding arrangement I have ever heard of."

Mamori pressed her lips as Hiruma made an impatient sound. Sugiyo spoke in their stead. "Come now, Kaede. As I have told you, they have been together for quite some time, and are merely hastening their wedding due to the current circumstances."

"I must say it never occurred to me that the Hiruma family would even consider having another woman in their lives. I must warn you then young lady, to look out for your life once you do join them. I do worry they have a certain... reputation... with women." Kaede's laugh was painful to hear. "But really, letting this 'outsider' join the Sato family and help Yuuya?" Kaede continued to laugh as she shook her head, placing the cup of tea close to her lips. "Hmph, you must be joking."

The words came out before Mamori could stop them. "Is there... something wrong?"

Kaede grinned. "Plenty. First of all, you are a complete disgrace to even be considered as part of such a pure Japanese family line like the Sato family. What's with those blue eyes? Is that even your original hair colour? You don't look fully Japanese."

"And you think I am?" Hiruma snarled.

"I will get to you later," Kaede glared at Hiruma for a moment before returning to give Mamori a belittling look. "You burst into this place, looking dishevelled and a mess, sweaty and dirty, and you expect me to accept you into this family? Tell me, which planet do you come from? Has your mother taught you nothing in basic courtesy or do you have her horrible mannerism?"

Mamori's jaw dropped. Her mind was screaming all the words she wanted to throw at this woman for the atrocities she had said, but they refused to come out. Rather, they seem to be reflected in her eyes as Hiruma quickly grabbed her hand once more, forcing her to look at him as he whispered, "Calm down."

Mamori bit her lip, holding back the outpour of angry emotions welling inside of her. She nodded at him.

He faced Kaede. "Oi, Fucking Old Woman, you seem to be having a lot of fun insulting us. What game are you playing here?"

Kaede looked rather entertained by the short display before her. "I am merely pointing out the truth. I suppose this is why I find it so amusing. But I suppose that yes, you're both perfect for each other. This so-called Japanese woman with no manners is very fitting for the pariah-like Hiruma family. It's perfectly hilarious!"

Both of them were losing patience at this point. Sugiyo spoke to them hastily. "I do not suggest lengthening this any further, you are both no longer in a good condition to handle her or this situation."

They both agreed, but Hiruma wasn't done yet. "Laugh at us all you want, Kaede," he sneered. "You know exactly what it is that we want. And you should know we will not back down until we get it."

"If that's what you're betting this marriage on then," Kaede took another sip of her tea and carefully placed the cup down. When she looked at Mamori, her smile seemed to stretch across her face in a manner that reminded Mamori of what true demons looked like. "I will be quite prepared to welcome you, soon to be Mrs Hiruma Youichi."

Much calmer now, and with her head held high, Mamori nodded.

oOo

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

Mamori sighed as she laid her futon down on the floor in the room Sugiyo had provided. "I really am. You can go to your room now."

"Not until I know you're fine," he replied as he took a step inside the room.

"Hiruma-kun, please!"

"Are you sure you want to still call me that now?"

Mamori bit her lip. As they looked at each other, she knew that despite the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions they were having, their eyes were reflecting off each other the same emotion.

Fear.

"After speaking to those two, I realise I don't know what we're doing anymore," Mamori whispered. "What _I'm_ doing."

She was sure he felt the same way, he opened his mouth to say something but the words never came. Instead, something else crossed his mind, making him reach out to hold her hand once more. "Have we ever held hands this much before?"

Mamori looked at their linked hands. "No, I don't believe we were ever this affectionate to each other."

"Why did we do it so much today then?"

"Because..." Mamori began, but realising the true weight and significance of this gesture made the words she wanted to say too simple. Because they needed to support each other? But they were already doing that from long before. Because they needed to remind the other they were not alone? They've told each other that many times the moment they agreed on the marriage.

Hiruma caught on to her worried thoughts. "Even though we've both been supporting each other in Football, knowing we're never alone both on and off the field and assuring each other on that, we communicated in gestures and unspoken words. This entire situation, us getting married, is going to change that. So just like you, I have no fucking clue what I'm doing and we both might end up completely trashed by the end of it."

He finally let go of her hand and made his way to the door. She watched him as her mind tried to find the right words that would hopefully ease them both. "Maybe for now... that doesn't matter? Maybe we'll both figure all of this out in time?"

Hiruma stopped to glance back at her.

"I mean," Mamori crossed her arms, looking away. "Maybe all this worrying about holding hands is ridiculous, and soon something like that will be seen as small and insignificant. Who knows... maybe we would view this marriage the same way in light of more important things. Whatever it is, let's just take everything as it goes one step at a time, while holding on to the most important reminder... that we are doing this together. And we are not alone. And if it takes holding hands or other silly affections to remind us of that, then we will do it as many times as it takes if it means we will both reach our goal."

Hiruma looked satisfied with her words. He gave her one last grin for the day. "Well, then. Good night, Mamori."

Mamori smiled in response. "Good night, Youichi."

* * *

**Extra notes:** I also have another little announcement. After being unemployed for a couple of months, I am going to be starting my new job next week. As I have been told that it would be pretty hectic, I may be churning out the chapters a lot slower than usual. But do know that this fic is definitely one of my top priorities so I will do my best to keep updating this. Thank you so much, and I hope you will continue to support this story to see it to the end!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes:** Thank you again for the amazing support! I've finally gotten settled in my new job and new life, though it took about a month or so. But once I had that in better control, despite my really hectic schedule, the moment I felt inspired and had a bit of free time, I found myself working on this. So yay! I'm still keen to see this fic to the end.

Someone mentioned in the last chapter that it was confusing to have two Hirumas. I realise I should have changed it earlier, but I wanted to portray that Mamori had always seen Hiruma Youichi as just Hiruma, thus my narrative. But now she has no choice but to refer to him as Youichi towards the end of that chapter, thus the narrative will now call him Youichi, as this is mostly written in Mamori's perspective. I hope this makes sense!

And I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I know many of you have been waiting for it since it's been revealed, but let me just say it may not be what you expect.

* * *

With a short screech made by the burning rubber under his soles against the hot pavement, Sena let out a cry as he almost dropped the package he was holding. Thankfully, most of his clumsiness had been cured throughout the years and as he checked the contents of the package, he let out a sigh of relief. Turning to the house he'd made the hasty stop in front of, due to the fact that he had not been here in a while, he couldn't help but smile a little in nostalgia the quaint yet spacious house evoked.

It really had been a while.

He rang the doorbell once and almost instantly a familiar voice could be heard from the communicator located at the front of the house. "Yes? Oh, Sena!"

Sena smiled at the small camera located just above the communicator. "Hello, Anezaki-kaa-san."

But she had already turned off the communicator and was already opening the front door. Practically bursting through the door was Anezaki Mami, a woman Sena had been familiar with since he was a child. "Sena! Oh my, little Sena, you've grown up so much!" she cried as she gave him a big smile, wrinkles lightly visible at the corner of her eyes, brown hair tied up in a bun, bearing a striking resemblance to her daughter.

Sena gave a nervous smile. She always greeted him like that ever since his return from Notre Dame in America. "I'm sorry for disturbing you at this hour, Anezaki-kaa-san."

Mami shook her head as she approached the gate and proceeded to unlatch it. "Don't worry about that, Sena! We're practically family after all! Come inside, how is your mother doing?"

"Ah, I can't stay long, I have to get going for more practice later with the Enma Fires," replied Sena. He lifted the package and passed it to Mami. "My mother's fine, she made some chiffon cake and decided to give one to you too. That's why I'm here."

"Oh, how lovely!" Mami took the package from him graciously. "I taught her how to bake this you know? She always bakes an extra one for me as a thank you!"

Sena laughed nervously. "Yes... I'm quite aware of that... seeing as she's been doing that since I was born."

"Why don't you come in for a while and have some tea together with the chiffon cake? It would only take a moment."

"Ah, I really can't, Anezaki-kaa-san. We barely have over a week left of the summer holidays and once the term starts, it's going to be a long fight towards the Rice Bowl so we need to train as much as we can before that."

"Oh, that's right! Mamori said the same thing too earlier this week." Mami's cheerful face slowly turned nervous. "She was quite worried when she told me about it too, cause it seems that her team is unable to train properly because their quarterback is missing."

Sena's eyebrows shot up. "Quarterback...? Are you saying Hiruma is missing?"

"Hmm..." Mami nodded. "Oh! But Mamori went to look for him, and according to the text message I received the night before, she's found him! She still needs to help him settle a few issues there, but the two of them will be back soon enough."

Sena bit back the urge to ask more questions. Something about this just didn't seem right, but he was sure that Mami would not be able to provide much answers because he could tell something else was bothering her. "Is something wrong, Anezaki-kaa-san?"

Mami had been looking down at the package in her hands but her head shot up at Sena's question. She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine, dear. You know how much I trust Mamori, and I know that she's making the right decision. But..."

She seemed to look beyond Sena, into an unknown distance. "Call it a mother's instinct, but I can't help but feel that she needs me right now."

oOo

Despite her best efforts to stay as calm as possible, Mamori found herself taking deep breaths, and holding them in as long as possible before slowly letting the air pass through her lips, her body swayed lightly with every breath, her arms stretched out, wide open.

Two old ladies, residents of Igaho, surrounded her. One before her, one behind her. Already wearing the white, heavy kimono, they were now wrapping another layer of kimono around her waist. She held her breath in once more as they worked together to get it wrapped around her properly, and at it was at this point that the old lady before her chuckled softly.

"You don't have to breathe in so much, relax! Relax!"

"A-ah..." Mamori replied, slowly breathing through her pursed lips. They weren't being rough with her, which she was grateful for, but her nerves continued to feel shaken.

She wasn't sure why she was feeling this way.

Her head felt heavy with the wig and the headdress on, intricate designs hidden within. She wondered if she looked ridiculous. The women were done with that last inner layer and began to tie her obi.

"This is Mayada's old kimono isn't it? It fits you so well," said the old lady behind her.

"Anezaki-san had to do some mending though," said the old lady before her. "And you did such a wonderful job too, and so quickly! Your soon-to-be-husband is so lucky to have someone as talented as you."

Mamori held back a laugh. For some reason, she thought that he had always had her talents to his disposal anyways.

She wondered how he was faring with the preparations.

They had barely seen each other since preparations began yesterday. Mamori was just as clueless as he was on how a traditional Shinto wedding was performed. While she had heard many stories about it, she had never truly witnessed it. And yet here she was, playing the lead role with little to no clue as to what she was doing.

"Stop worrying about it," Sugiyo had told her. "Normally we would have the both of you signing your marriage papers first, but Kaede insists that you two hold the ceremony first. A Sato family tradition or so she claims. Best to let her have her way if you ever want to retrieve Kirie's ashes. In the meantime, the people of Igaho are ecstatic, they haven't had a traditional wedding in years. They will gladly guide you along the way."

"Is the obi too tight?"

Mamori had sucked in her breath again, and she quickly let it out as the old lady before her gave her a worried glance. "No!" Mamori shook her head. "Not at all, I'm fine. See?"

"Leave her alone, Mayumi," the old lady behind her laughed. "Pre-wedding jitters."

The two ladies smiled as they began to tie the obi intricately. Unsure what to do, Mamori continued to keep her arms open and stare off into the wooden walls of the small room she was in. Her wandering mind now settled on the Sato family. She had heard from Sugiyo late last night that a few members of the Sato family would be here to witness the wedding.

"Does Youichi know?" she had asked her.

Sugiyo grinned. "Oh yes. Youichi knows."

She didn't think much about Sugiyo's grin at the time, but recalling it now made Mamori cringe in embarrassment. She should be extra careful when mentioning his name from now on.

The last kimono robe was placed over her arms, the weight settling in. With a few more adjustments, both ladies now stood before her, admiring their handiwork.

"I was worried Mayada's kimono may have looked out of fashion but..."

"It does look good, doesn't it?"

"I don't mind if it's old," said Mamori, smiling kindly to the women. "I'm just glad that there's someone out there who was willing to lend this to me, seeing as we don't have the time or money to buy one."

"Nonsense!" cried the lady named Mayumi. "Don't you worry about a thing, dear. We'll take good care of you. We'll even guide you during the ritual."

"Oh, it isn't necessary, I have it memorised," said Mamori, though her mind drew a blank on how the ceremony was supposed to go, even though she did try hard to memorise it the night before.

"Now there's still the issue of your makeup..."

"I'll handle it."

Mamori and the other two women looked to the door to find a portly, yet kindly looking woman standing there. "I'm here upon the request of Sato Kaede," she said, her smile widening at the sight of Mamori. "You must be the soon to be latest addition to the Sato family! It is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Taneda Saori, also a branch of the Sato family."

Mamori's eyes widened, her mind becoming even more blank. _They're here!_ "I-it's a pleasure to meet you!" Mamori tried to bow, but felt as if her headdress was about to fall.

"Oh, you silly girl, now's not the time for that!" Saori laughed. "It's your day today, I should be bowing to you!" Saori approached Mamori, gesturing towards a nearby chair. "Come, sit down. We have no time to waste getting you ready."

Mamori nodded, and with a little help, got herself seated on the small chair. Saori had brought her own makeup kit. "Please close your eyes," she instructed, her voice calming.

Mamori nodded. And soon she felt a brush sweeping over her face. They were silent for a while, Mamori keeping her eyes closed throughout the entire process. Saori's fingers were gentle and careful, and slowly the fear she had felt earlier slowly disappeared.

She felt exhausted.

"You must have gone through a lot these past few days," said Saori. Mamori slowly opened her eyes as Saori reached out for another brush. "Close your eyes please."

Mamori nodded and did as she was told. Saori was working on her eyes now. "Kaede didn't tell me everything that happened, but the whole Sato family is aware of the reason why you're getting married. I would like to warn you that the Sato family isn't the kind of family you can fool around with and get what you want. We are strict, we have high expectations, we expect only the best."

Saori blew gently over Mamori's eyes. "You can open them now." She reached out for another brush as Mamori stared at the kindly woman before her. She was still smiling as she placed a thumb over Mamori's chin, gently pulling Mamori's face closer. She began to apply lipstick with gentle strokes. "I want to apologise beforehand if Kaede judges you and your mother for being... well... not so Japanese. In all honesty, it is not a matter that concerns us. But things haven't been going too well at the Sato family, and with Kaede especially. So I hope that if you do join us, Mamori, that you would at least do so with much respect to the Sato family... and to Kaede as well."

Mamori stared at Saori for a moment, questions forming. But now wasn't the time. "I promise, I have no ill-intention to the Sato family. I will do what is proper to retrieve what rightfully belongs to the Hiruma family. So... please look after me."

Saori rubbed Mamori's cheeks in approval. "Then you will do just fine. I'm sure you will. Now, would you like to take a good look at yourself?"

Saori got up as she headed to the door. "Fuyumi! Where are you? I need a mirror in here!"

Mamori rose slowly, the weight of everything on her slowly sinking in. She took another deep breath, but determination slowly filled her. There was something going on even within Sato family, and now she was keen to find out what it was.

A younger woman rushed in, holding a long mirror about her size. Mamori had a full view of herself now, and she couldn't help but stare in awe.

"Oh..." she breathed, as she looked down at her kimono, the little details on the outer robe, the makeup accentuating her features against the white paint over her skin. Who... is that?

Sugiyo's voice broke through her thoughts. "Seeing as you're ready, we better get going." Sugiyo approached her. "We need to walk to the temple. The men are waiting outside."

"Okay," Mamori nodded. Sugiyo had something in her hand, and as she reached out, Mamori felt something being placed on her head. It was her veil. At this, Sugiyo gave a sympathetic smile. "I know you would rather someone else do this."

Mamori caught her breath, her eyes stinging a little. No, now wasn't the time to think about that. She gave a pained smile. "It's all right."

Sugiyo held on to Mamori's hand and guided her outside the room where many of the other older women of Igaho stood waiting around the hallways. Gasps could be heard everywhere, and everyone seemed to say aloud, "How beautiful!" the moment Mamori walked past them.

As they proceeded to walk out of the building used for temple preparations, Sugiyo quietly spoke to her, "A Japanese bride wears white not only to become the symbol of purity, it is also to symbolise mourning. She is leaving her family to join a new one."

Mamori looked at her, mouth agape with surprise. Sugiyo grinned. "But I don't think you and Youichi would agree to such thinking. It's still an interesting thought, isn't it?"

Slowly calming down, Mamori nodded. "I guess traditional weddings really can be interesting."

"Oh, you're just starting, my dear." They had now reached the outer courts where the men stood waiting. The temple a yonder distance, the weather was clear and cool thanks to being on a hill. Mamori scanned the group of men, finding the priest who was talking to Hiruma Yuuya. And next to him was...

Youichi?

That must be him, though he had on the most uncomfortable expression she had ever seen him wear. Wearing the black and grey hakama...

His hair now dyed black. It looked like there had been an attempt to calm that spiky hair of his, but to no avail. He was also missing his usual pierced adornments, they had been such a part of him he now looked strangely bare.

Mamori resisted the urge to laugh. He seemed to have sensed her amusement as he was looking straight at her now. And somehow, that was enough to bring them both back to their usual selves.

He was grinning. She felt sure he had something witty to say about the way she looked, but she was glad that they were both putting in some effort to respect this tradition as much as they could, even though a part of them felt as if this entire thing was ridiculous.

Yuuya had seen her now, and excusing himself from the priest, he approached her. He gave her a quick bow. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she replied.

He held her other free hand for a moment and drew her close with what she thought was a kiss on the cheek. But he instead whispered into her ear, "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Mamori could see Youichi in the distance. She pulled away from Yuuya and smiled. "It's all right. I'm not alone after all."

The priest had taken his position and two mikos stood nearby. Sugiyo led her towards Youichi, and with a gentle nod, moved to take her place among the crowd forming behind them. She could see Saori waving excitedly somewhere within the crowd, Kaede next to her, dressed as regally as Mamori had expected she would. She seemed a little disinterested in the proceedings, but other than that Mamori was glad she didn't look annoyed or angry. The other women and men in Igaho also joined in the crowd. It wasn't much, but Mamori was content that there were people who wanted to celebrate with her.

She was sure the wedding would go smoothly.

As they both looked forward, Hiruma softly cackled. "And the bitch said you don't look Japanese."

"Don't say that! She's around after all!" But Mamori couldn't help the genuine smile forming on her lips. "But really, you should try looking Japanese more often yourself. It suits you."

"Considering the amount of hell I went through, it's obviously not my style, Fucking Manager."

The nickname calmed her down considerably, something she didn't expect. And with what felt like the last time where they were just Quarterback and Manager, focusing only on their desires to win, the procession began and they all began to walk towards the temple.

The sounds of the traditional flute and drums could be heard, accompanying them down the pathways towards the temple. There was not a cloud in sight, the air felt still and the kimono she wore made her feel hot despite the cool air. There was barely anything to look at, just the gray pavement, the green trees and the wooden gates surrounding them.

Despite the many people surrounding her, Mamori felt a sort of emptiness inside her.

Youichi moved closer to her, brushing her fingers with his, slowly tangling them. Mamori glanced at him, and though his face remained calm, she could feel a form of tension within his hands. She squeezed back.

_It's going to be okay. We'll get through this._

They slowly let each other go and proceeded to follow the priest before them.

When they finally reached the temple, only a select few entered. Yuuya and Sugiyo took their place at Hiruma's side of the temple, while to Mamori's surprise, Saori, Kaede and a few other women who Mamori suspected was the rest of the Sato family, had taken her side. She wondered if there was some significance towards this.

She decided she didn't want to worry about it now. The wedding ceremony began, and her mind was still drawing a blank.

It wasn't until the mikos completed the cleansing ritual did her memory slowly return, and she knew what was coming up next once the priest was done reciting the words.

Drinking sake. Mamori could handle her alcohol, she supposed, and it was a small amount. But it was still quite fascinating to her that it took drinking sake to seal their marriage.

What was it that one of the old ladies told her about this moment? Ah yes, that there will be hardships in a marriage that need to be overcome, and the spirits will guide them through this ritual.

Youichi seemed calm as the miko poured the sake into his small red cup, then he gulped it down three times. When it was Mamori's turn, the drink was incredibly strong that it seemed to sear her throat, but she finished it as she was told.

They had to repeat this a number of times until Mamori's throat was burning. Though for some reason, it made her remember all the times she screamed and cheered for her respective teams, the Devil Bats and the Saikyoudai Wizards.

She glanced at Youichi, and despite this being a happy moment, they were both aware that they were coming into this marriage filled with many things to worry about. He gave her a determined look.

Mamori took a quick, deep breath once more. That's right.

Mamori thought she had reached the end of the ceremony, her mind scrambled to remember what needed to be done at this point. Then Yuuya approached them both, holding a small box in his palm. He opened it to reveal two silver rings within.

"I insisted I buy these for you both," Yuuya explained as she looked at him and Youichi curiously. "As my present to the two of you and a symbol of my support."

Mamori nodded in understanding. Youichi picked up the ring for Mamori first. She wondered if he had helped pick the rings as the size looked right for her. He seemed to hesitate as he lifted her left hand towards him. She looked up to see him give a pensive look.

He had noticed her looking at him, and with a quick breath, he whispered, "We're going to get through this fucking mess. Together."

He slid the ring onto her finger. Mamori stared at it for a moment, before reaching out for his ring and lifting his left hand. She looked at him and whispered, "Together."

Sliding the ring onto his finger, the ceremony was completed. Mamori turned towards the entrance of the temple with Hiruma beside her as the traditional sounds of flutes and drums escalated, and in the corner of her eye she could see Saori, who looked rather excited, and Kaede, looking rather smug.

This was only the first obstacle. There were more to come.

Just outside the temple, the people of Igaho were already beginning their celebrations with alcohol and music. Sugiyo had to calm some of them down, demanding for the marriage papers to be brought. A few witnesses, music still swelling in the background, signatures and stamps. That was all it took for Youichi and Mamori to be officially married.

It still felt too surreal to be true.

While the celebrations continued in the Kitae Ryokan, Mamori's exhaustion finally came over her. She requested Sugiyo to help her get out of her ceremonial robes as she needed to lie down. The undressing process took a while, and with the help of all the other old ladies, who were sad that Mamori couldn't join the celebrations but understood, she was finally dressed in her own pajamas.

She knew Hiruma would be in the room. Their room.

There was no way they could escape sleeping in the same room. Not on the day of their supposed wedding. But Mamori was too tired to care, and she knew they would both be too exhausted for anymore shenanigans.

He had laid out the giant futon that was available, but was careful to put the pillows at a distance. "You don't have to worry about that," she said as she entered the room, pointing at the pillows.

"What, you don't think I may try to fuck you? You're a woman and I'm a man after all," Youichi joked, finally glad to be himself again though his hair was still black. "I could be a snorer, you know. Maybe you're one too. Maybe I'd kick you off the damn futon, though you're more likely to do that to me."

Mamori finally laughed. She needed that. "Stop it, I'm sure we'll both be fine. Though it says something that we're both the youngest here and we're both going to bed so early."

"Fuck that, I haven't slept for close to 36 hours."

"Neither have I."

They both lay down on the futon, the sound of celebrations still echoing down the hallways. "I didn't think I'd ever see you with black hair," said Mamori, turning to face him.

Youichi lay on his side too, looking at Mamori. "Well take a good look cause by morning, it's back to being blonde for me."

Mamori giggled. "I do miss your blonde looks though."

"Good. You ain't getting anymore of this traditional manly Hiruma Youichi shit anymore. And I thought I knew hell seeing as I put the team through it," Youichi cackled, though he looked serious. "Speaking of which, we really need to get back to Saikyoudai and kick the team back into shape."

She nodded. "I can't wait to go back. Everyone must be so worried about us. I don't know what to tell them about why we took so long here."

"How about telling them the truth?" Youichi grinned. "You actually eloped and got yourself hitched."

"It's sad when you realise that it is the truth."

"Yeah... it is sad." Despite all his teasing, Youichi remained serious. He was quiet for a moment, which made Mamori curious. Then he said, "... You didn't deserve this."

Mamori frowned. "Stop that, we agreed that we were in this together."

"But you definitely deserve something better than this fucking mess."

Mamori was about to protest, but it hit her that this was what had Youichi worried the entire day. She couldn't stop the sadness from building within her upon realising this. She buried her head deeper into the pillow, breathing slowly. "I don't mind... I realise that I may really be able to help what's going on with the Sato family. We'll finally be meeting them tomorrow and finally get this going. So if this marriage is what it takes to help solve this, then it really doesn't bother me. Besides... I know we're in this together. But..."

She smiled at him assuringly, but he only gave her a look of concern. "Can I be honest with you?" she asked.

"If you can't be honest with me, I'd have to fucking shoot myself."

She laughed, though her sadness was filling every inch of her. "Don't say that. I don't mind... getting married. I'm really alright, because I know you, I trust you. But..."

Hot tears were spilling out of her eyes. Had they always been there? "I just... I just wish I could have been with my family. I wish my mother was with me, telling me what to do, telling me that I was doing fine. I felt so lost without her today. All the ladies here were really nice, but I seriously needed a familiar face, and all I could think about was my mother."

Mamori began to sob. Youichi shifted his body closer, then reached out and pulled her closer to him in a sort of embrace. "I'm sorry," she cried, clenching on to his shirt. "I must sound so silly... wanting my mother. I'm an adult now, I don't need her."

"Stop that," he replied. "Of course you need your mother. I told you, you didn't deserve this. You deserve a much better wedding, with a much better man, with all the people you care about. Not having fucking vultures like the Sato family or even strangers who don't know you well enough."

Mamori continued to sob into his chest, her hand clamped over her mouth in an attempt to control herself. "You'll get a better wedding ceremony someday, Fucking Manager," he told her. "Until then, we both have to keep fighting. So if anything, this wedding shows that we will support each other until we finally get what we want. And do you know what that is?"

"... Kirie's ashes?" replied Mamori, her sobs softening as she pulled away from him just a little to look at him.

Youichi looked at her, his grin returned. "No. Victory. We're not going to stop until we kill them all."

* * *

**Extra Notes:** Japanese weddings are actually pretty short, and there's still a lot about it I may not know but I hope that my writing portrays it well enough. Feel free to let me know if you find anything weird or need clarification, and I'll explain as best as I can.

I apologise for any OOC moments, espcially with Hiruma. He has always been a challenge for me to write.

And now that they're officially married, the game is about to begin. Do be patient with me once more as I will be participating in NaNoWriMo with an original story of mine. Hopefully I'll be able to write a chapter during the hecticness of next month! Thank you once again for the amazing support you have all shown me!


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